Can an independent, stubborn human beta make room in his life and heart for a hard-headed Alpha?

Julio Reyes has had a hard life. Orphaned at fourteen, he ran away from a group home to avoid rape but wound up being an independent prostitute in NYC. He has a life plan—go to school, become a stylist and open his own salon.

Etienne Daurensbourg is one-hundred and thirty-nine years old and fears he’ll never find his Mate until his friend Alexei introduces him to Julio. Julio is Etienne’s Mate but before he has a chance to court Julio, who is a human high beta and therefore stubborn and independent, Julio gets knifed and is forced to let Etienne provide him with a home and help to recover.

Pack problems arise that may force Etienne into the pit. Will Julio be able to love Etienne despite the fact he is a loup garou?

A.C. Katt

AC Katt: AC didn’t discover her muse until she was older. She loves to write and now writes constantly. She just moved from New Mexico back to New Jersey with her husband and her naughty cat Bandit, who lives up to his name.

Friday, September 16, 2016

The Harbinger was born, in part, from growing up in the 1980's. At that time, our culture was plagued by fear. It was everywhere--on the news, in conversations, in nightmares... As I think back, nuclear war was often presented by the media as a likely event. In retrospect, I now see it for what it was... Reagan-Era propaganda that was meant to keep everyone scared shitless. Unfortunately, things haven't changed too much... But it wasn't just the media. Every other movie out there, it seemed, were full of slashers and killers, wars and disasters, and the end of the world. My favorites of these movies were always the huge Hollywood disaster flicks with fabulous all-star casts. Gloom and doom and the fantasy of starting over are common themes that endlessly fascinate us. And, of course, we're still in the grips of our zombie obsession.

My background is in gay romance and erotica. As a fan of post-apocalyptic and Sci-Fi fiction, I've noticed the glaring absence of major gay characters. Usually, they're resigned to be comic sidekicks, minor characters with occasional one-liners, or characters unable to defend themselves. Two of the four major characters in The Harbinger are gay and are portrayed in a realistic light, as flawed people who are just like anyone else--fighting to survive. Of course, there are some zombie-type creatures, but my "creepers" aren't like anything I've read before. It would be incorrect to categorize this as a "gay" or "zombie" book because there's much more going on... I wanted to express a different point of view that is lacking in most post-apocalyptic books. Instead of jumping into the middle of the story and telling how the world fell apart in a flashback, lasting for maybe a page and a half, which is fine for some writers and fans, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to examine and watch the world fall apart through the eyes of the characters and attempt to convey the emotions they experience. So The Harbinger begins with these characters living their lives with their own sets of issues and problems. Before they know it, their worlds have been annihilated and they face these extraordinary circumstances.

It starts as a whisper, barely audible.

Rumors. Paranoia. Conspiracy theories. Subterfuge.

Like lightning, the plague moves across the globe, spreading out in all directions. When the naysayers can no longer ignore the wails and moans of the dying, the Harbinger will already have them by their throats.

But the end is only the beginning…

Discovered in the Alaskan permafrost, the ancient virus was reanimated and genetically-altered. The new strain showed great promise in curing many of mankind’s afflictions. When the specimen fell into the hands of the Russian theocracy, their inept scientists attempted to create a biological weapon—a weapon that outsmarted them.

Now, the androvirus is a deadly airborne plague, conquering the world in a matter of days. With a communicability of 100% and a mortality rate of over 90%, there is no immunity. For the survivors, who can suppress the virus, there is only change. A few adapt, but most become walking, talking gray horrors with an appetite for flesh.

Primarily set in the American city of Memphis, four loosely-connected strangers, caught up in their lives, find their worlds annihilated by the swiftly-moving plague.

Alex Connelly is a wealthy, young executive, living an idyllic life with his pregnant wife, Madison. Kirk Foster is a self-absorbed aging gay man, desperate to hang onto his youth and sex appeal. Meredith Brinkley’s on-going war with breast cancer takes a turn for the worse, and she faces an impending double mastectomy. Logan King is a closeted baseball jock, playing for a minor league team while coming to terms with his true identity. And only together will they survive...

In the wee hours of the morning of July 29th, Grigori Yeltsin passed a huge commotion as he walked into Pulkovo-St. Petersburg Airport.

The commotion was none other than a moaning obese man with a beard, Vitaly Milonov, being loaded into an ambulance.

Grigori had barely given the scene a second look, but the pathogen had noticed him, latching onto the tall, dark-haired man in his forties for a lethal piggyback ride.

He was running late, so after going through the security checkpoints, Yeltsin passed the viral taint to all the ticket agents, security, and incoming passengers that Milonov hadn’t infected on his way out.

Rushing through the terminal, the handsome, athletic man passed hundreds of people—some already infected with the virus and the others Grigori infected unwittingly. Those that Yeltsin and Milonov infected with the pathogen became clueless carriers of the swiftly-moving plague.

On the flight from St. Petersburg to Brussels, Yeltsin infected all four hundred and nineteen persons. By the time the plane landed, Yeltsin felt a bit tired, but aside from that, he was fine. Waiting for his connecting flight to New York, Grigori had a breakfast of Chinese food while texting his wife. By the time that he called his mistress, the red-haired Illia, who lived in an apartment that he paid for, the reception on his phone was choppy, but he didn’t dwell on it. After speaking to Illia, Grigori called the thirteen-year-old boy that he was also fucking. The boy, Jaska, a pretty youth with blond hair, who could actually be called the wealthy man’s second mistress, also resided in a luxury apartment that Yeltsin paid for. By the conclusion of his second call, his phone was cutting out to the point of annoyance.

He sat at the gate for his flight to New York City and attempted to check the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on his phone, but oddly, he couldn’t connect to the Internet. Frustrated, he gave up. As Grigori boarded the large jet to New York, he was energized. He was excited about the new construction project that his company was about to undertake. Unlike many business trips, this one was personal. The amphitheater that he was to build had been a long-time dream. The concert hall was to be named after his mother, Oksana. She had died of whooping cough when he was a boy. After spending hundreds of millions of rubles to bribe all the right officials, Yeltsin expected his mother’s name would now live on forever.

The firm that he was partnering with was a company called Hollister Engineering. They had a prestigious reputation and were known for their incredible feats of construction and engineering. The company was even flying up one of their bests from Memphis, Tennessee. The only thing Yeltsin knew about Memphis was that Elvis Presley had lived there. He hoped the young man, who was making the presentation on the following day, Alexander Connelly, would tell him much more about the Land of Elvis—Elvis Presley being Yeltsin’s all-time favorite singer.

Although the virus had shifted, taking longer to show its first symptoms post infection, the airborne plague was no less virulent or deadly. In fact, during his layover, Yeltsin had passed the sickness on to thousands, who boarded flights to Rome, Atlanta, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aries, Madrid, Paris, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Casablanca, Reykjavik, Toronto, Montreal, Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Melbourne, and Washington DC.

The wheels of the harbinger were turning…

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10 Things I Want to Do Before I Die

1. Have sex with (top him) gay porn star Riley Price.

2. Meet Kylie Minogue.

3. Visit Easter Island.

4. Visit Iceland.

5. Visit Sweden.

6. Smoke weed with Willie Nelson.

7. Be topped by Actor Andy Buckley (David Wallace from The Office)

8. Write an international best seller.

9. Retire from my day job to write full time.

10. Pay of my student loans.

How long have you been writing? What inspired you to start writing?

I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I would make up these insane little books featuring a few of my friends. Over the years it bloomed. What started my career as an erotica writer was a very toxic relationship that was very sexually frustrating, back in 2010 or so. And Keegan Kennedy was born.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Be true to your vision. Don’t let a publishing house tell you what you have to write or that your book must have a happy ending. Almost no one in my life reads my writing, so don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. On a more practical note, edit, read, edit, read, edit, read. Plot your book, tighten it, make it pack a punch. Give them something they’ve never seen before. If you see a glaring ommision in a genre, set out to conquer it. Invest in grammar software, a thesarus, and a stock photo website to find covers.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

No. On the otherhand, I often suffer from writer’s exhaustion. Several ideas for different works will be creeping in my head at once, so I have to make myself focus.

Tell us something about your newest release that is NOT in the blurb.

I actively challenge stereotypes of women, racial minorities, and gay people. One of the toughest characters turns out to be gay. Also, The Harbinger highlights the incredible diversity of the city of Memphis.

Tell us something about your work in progress. What is it about?

I’m starting a new series about two men, who aren’t completely likable, who are star-crossed lovers. I wanted to challenge the romance novel genre—one that i truly love. At this time, I can’t use the character names or the title of the series as sometimes, the name of the work and the characters have been known to suddenly turn up in a hastily written project. I’ve found as an indie author that the element of surprise is paramount.

Originally hailing from Mississippi, Keegan Kennedy is a writer based out of Memphis, TN. He has a knack for uncovering love and romance in the darkest of places. With a tendency toward the melodramatic, he does more than arouse or excite the reader - he engages them.

Author of Homecoming: International Number One in four countries: The United States, The United Kingdom, Germany and Canada. (2013) Other chart number ones: The Substitute Wife, Magnificent Pretense, Captivated, Ganymede 4, West Texas Rivalry, and the Ties that Bind.

Remi Ginn’s an easygoing werecat with a love of snarky T-shirts who would be perfectly happy with a human mate. Is that what the goddess Bast gives him? Of course not. Instead she gifts him with Marshell, a Vetala: a snakelike nonshifter who drinks blood to survive. A man who’s just as toppy as Remi—and even more powerful than the West Falls Clowder’s Alpha and heir apparent.

While Remi decides whether he can handle the fates’ choice, hunters attack Marshell. In an explosion of passion, Remi and Marshell mate and Remi declares Marshell his. Now they have to figure out how to make their relationship work as they dance around each other.

The clowder is in turmoil, and Remi’s acceptance of Marshell rocks the very foundation of the insular group. The consequences will be far-reaching. And if that isn’t problem enough, the situation with the hunters is far from resolved… as the appearance of an Alpha werewolf proves.

Actually, not very long. Hmmm, maybe a couple of years? I got my start back in 2010. I was surfing the net and was looking for free short stories to read. I ran across this site called Literotica and stumbled across the Gay Male section. I was hooked, lol.

Somehow I’d missed all this. And boy, did I scrounge around there, reading every single story! There were some very good ones, and some very, very bad ones, lol. After reading there for half a year, I decided to try my hand at writing a story.

I was surfing the net and was looking for free short stories to read. I ran across this site called Literotica and stumbled across the Gay Male section. I was hooked, lol. Somehow I’d missed all this. And boy, did I scrounge around there, reading every single story! There were some very good ones, and some very, very bad ones, lol. After reading there for half a year, I decided to try my hand at writing a story.

What finally pushed me into pubbing was winning a winter-themed contest on Literotica several years ago. I’d been writing The Harvest series there. So I wrote a Christmas story having to do with the characters from Harvest and entered it. *laugh* It won first place. What’s significant about that was this was *not* a M/M contest. Most of the entries were M/F actually. That helped make my mind up.

How do you come up with the titles to your books?

It’s like approaching a good-looking person at a bar. You make eye contact—there’s a spark. You check each other for a little while then… you meet. Talk. Flirt. Cop a feel or two and see if that spark turns into a blazing fire, lol. A time or two I’ve had to walk away and find another title to eye.

I’ve been lucky. Titles have never been um, hard, for me to ah, come, up with. *laugh* Okay, I’ll stop now.

Describe your writing space.

Well, lol, it depends on where I end up. Some days the laptop and I are on the couch in the den. There are a *lot* of windows in there, and I can see the pond from the couch. It’s bright and sunny. Usually Kitty curls up on a pillow next to me while I write.

Other times I’m in the bedroom. The hubby works nights two weeks out of four. Normally, he falls asleep in the bedroom because it’s dark in there. But there are times the Outdoor Channel grabs him and he falls asleep on the couch. Those days I end up in the bedroom. I sit on the bed with Kitty curled up at the end of the bed, lol.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

I’ve never truly struggled with writer’s block, except for one time. For a good six to eight months after the stroke I had in 2012, I struggled. So… I don’t know if you would really call that writers block. Regardless of whatever you’d call it I struggled getting my thoughts on the page.

I know now part of the problem had to do with the medications I was on. Once that was straightened out, things got better. Even though the stroke wasn’t as bad as it could have been, I still needed time to recuperate.

What comes first for you, the plot or characters?

For me, the plot comes first. I have to have some working idea of what I’m writing, lol. Before I ever put pen to paper, so to speak, I have a beginning, middle, and end. *laugh* I guess it’s the teacher in me. I can’t help it, lol. Now, that’s not to say there isn’t room for change. Hell, there’s even been a time or two I threw the plot out the window and started completely over. Talk about stressing me out, though, so that doesn’t happen often.

What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

The first thing would be to research the publisher you’re looking at. Google them. Go look at their website. What kind of covers do they have? Do you like them? Go on places like ARe and check out the bestseller list. What publishers are there? Ask around. Talk to others. Listen to what’s being talked about on social media and blogs. I hate to say it, but if there’s smoke, there’s usually fire.

The other thing I’d say is don’t give up, and please, don’t take rejection to heart. This is a business. Publishers want to make money. If they don’t think something will work for them, they’ll give it a pass. That doesn’t mean they think the story sucks. So, okay then, it’s been rejected. Send that story off to another publisher.

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Chapter One—Remi

Fuck my life.

I’d have to check, but I was pretty sure I had a shirt that said that somewhere in my closet. If I didn’t, it was next on the list of things to get. Because it fit—my life was fucked.

Sighing, I turned the radio up in an effort to drown out my thoughts. I rattled down the road in my old beat-up work truck—which was another thing I needed to take care of. I’d owned a sweet ’69 Ford Mustang. Had being the key word. It went up in flames not long ago… with the mate of Dolf, our heir apparent and head beta, inside.

Kirk made it out alive. My baby wasn’t so lucky, and I hadn’t replaced her yet. Yes, I was mourning a car. I loved her. Ugh. So much for drowning out my thoughts. I turned on my blinker and made the turn onto Alpha Armonty’s street for an emergency meeting he’d called.

Bad enough this was Monday, but it was what humans called Cyber Monday, goddess help us. I turned the heat up a little more. December had arrived with what the South considered abnormally cold temperatures. Frankly I liked the cold—liked the snow, as long as we weren’t buried under a mountain of the stuff.

As I pulled up in front of his house, I saw Dolf’s truck was already there. Dolf, our head beta, was the Alpha’s son and heir apparent. The other three betas—Heller, Aidric, and Brier—had arrived too. That left me. I was also a beta for the West Falls Clowder.

I parked behind Heller and sat in my truck, staring sightlessly at the house. One of the reasons we were meeting was because I met my mate, Marshell Foles, a few days ago. Good news, right? Cue the canned audience applause.

Now the bad news. My mate was possibly stronger than my Alpha and the heir apparent together. Okay, now cue the canned boos and hisses. Maybe I should’ve said life was fucked with a capital F.

I flashed back to the night I found out he was mine and the heavy petting session we had on his couch. Now my cock was hard. Wonderful. Just what I needed—an erection right before I met with my Alpha.

I pushed at the bulge, frowning. “Down, boy. I’m afraid you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

In order for a shifter to mate, we had to share come and blood during sex—which involved bottoming. For my mate I could bottom. The thing was, I didn’t see myself doing it on a regular basis. I was a top—which was not that big of a deal, except so was Marshell.

Somehow I didn’t see Marshell bottoming any more than I wanted to. The man screamed Alpha male. That was another can of worms, and not the only one by any means. And sitting here analyzing this was useless. I got out and walked toward the front door before one of them noticed me sitting out here in my truck like a dummy.

Just as I got to the door, Dolf opened it, read my shirt, and promptly burst out laughing. “You have got to tell me where you get those.”

Smirking, I shook my head. “It’s a well-guarded secret.”

Today I wore a black shirt with white writing: Be careful when you follow the masses…. Sometimes the M is silent. “Masses” was in light blue, as was the letter M, to draw attention to the play on words. I’d been known to follow an ass or two in my day. Those days were over now.

Dolf nodded at my truck. “I was wondering if I was going to have to come out there.”

“I had a feeling you’d be tapping on the driver’s window if I didn’t get out soon,” I said as Dolf moved out of the way so I could enter the Alpha’s home.

“I was counting down. Dad and the rest are already in his office.”

“That’s where the food is, right? I just got off work, so I haven’t eaten.”

Dolf clapped me on the shoulder as he shut the front door. “Of course. Come on back before they eat it all—damn bunch of vultures.”

“Good, good. Just got through helping my sister, Breanna, move into her new apartment here in town. I swear, how does one person accumulate that much stuff?” Brier complained.

“Oh that’s right. I forgot she was back,” I said. “Where was she living before?”

“Philadelphia. She moved up there for her job, but she couldn’t stand the cold weather and endless snow. All she did was gripe, gripe, gripe. I finally got tired of hearing it and told her if she was that unhappy, then she should move back home. I was kidding, but I don’t think she got that. Next thing I know I’m getting a phone call and a due date for her to move.” Brier scowled at a chip on his plate. “Should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

“What did you tell me she did?” I asked.

“She’s an accountant. Now that she’s settled into her new place, she’s started job hunting. She’s got some savings, but that won’t last forever.”

“Is she still unmated?” I asked.

“Yep. She had a boyfriend, but they weren’t mates. And speaking of mates, I heard you found yours. Man, sorry I couldn’t attend the dinner. Congrats.” Brier sat down at the round table we always used for meetings.

“Yeah, you should’ve seen his face.” Aidric chuckled.

“Thanks,” I said, unsure if I should say more. Did Brier know the situation? Aidric did. He was there that night.

“Welcome, Remi.” Alpha Armonty pointed at the side table where the drinks were set. “There’s several different sodas to pick from, and tea. Get yourself a plate and grab a seat.”

“Yes, Alpha.” I filled a plate and got a drink. After we were settled, Alpha Armonty cleared his throat. All talking ceased.

“We’re meeting for several reasons. First let me congratulate Remi. As I understand it, Remi met his mate during Heller’s Thanksgiving dinner, which I wish now the wife and I had attended.”

“Yeah, you never know what kind of trouble Heller’s going to stir up,” Aidric joked.

“Again, let me remind everyone Lawson’s to blame for the whole Thanksgiving deal. That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.” Heller nodded as though that was the end of the subject.

“You chickenshit.” Aidric poked Heller in the ribs. “Look at you trying to throw it off on your mate, and the guy isn’t even here to defend himself.”

“I’ll tell him,” I volunteered, flashing Heller an evil grin. “Knowing Lawson, he’ll hide Heller’s hair-styling stuff as revenge. Hmm, I might even have to suggest that. Just in case, you know.”

“He’d need a storage unit for all of it,” Brier added and then took a drink of his soda.

“And a forklift to get it to the storage unit.” Dolf snickered, licking the sauce from the hot wings off his fingers.

“Just a damn minute here.” Heller threw his napkin at me. “How’d this discussion get off onto me anyhow? And Remi? You might want to remember Lawson’s like a brother to your mate. Maybe I’ll tell Lawson to tell Marshell how you picked on me… and I’ll have you in the doghouse, man.”

“Doghouse? Really?” Dolf hooted.

“Sounds better than cathouse.” Heller shrugged and then bit into a wing.

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Fur and Fangs with a Twist

I shall begin by saying I do not recommend reading this book without having read the first two, [book:Trouble Comes in Threes|23631202] (Trouble Comes in Threes) and [book:Behind the Eight Ball|27153448] (Behind the Eight Ball). There are multiple references to these books that play into this one, and having not read them myself, I felt I missed fully understanding the multitude of storylines.

That said, this was my first novel by this author, and I really enjoyed it, even if I didn’t get all the subtleties. Told in first person from the alternating points of view of Remi and Marshell, you really get the opportunity to see inside their heads and hearts. Remi is a werecat, but his mate is something entirely different – a non-shifting paranormal called a Vetala. While he remains human, he has enhanced senses, and when his preternatural traits come forward, his eyes glow blue and his venemous fangs drop. Incredibly powerful, the clowder isn’t certain precisely what to do with Marshell as the mate of the top beta werecat after the heir apparent.

I liked that as a cat, Remi wasn’t one of the top predator large cats, but an actual CAT cat. Only slightly larger than an average cat, he enjoys playing with cat toys, climbing everything in the house, and snuggling in Marshell’s lap. It really was a nice change of pace. Marshell’s discomfort with “talking to a cat” cracked me up.

While the pacing was steady, the plots were kind of all over the place. There were multiple things happening at once, not all of which involved the main characters, and some of them would be mentioned, then not heard about for a hundred pages before popping up and being quickly resolved almost as an afterthought. However, the storylines were interesting and did keep my attention.

The peripheral characters are *many* and varied. From other cats to wolves to humans in the clowder to human hunters of the paranormals, there is a lot to keep up with. This is done quite well, and these characters really enriched the book overall. Quick wit and excellent dialogue is part and parcel with this book. I found myself turning the pages looking forward to finding out what outrageous shirt Remi was going to wear next!

The chemistry between Remi and Marshell is striking hot! Watching these two tops dance around each other and eventually give in to the inevitable is highly entertaining, and the sexy times are sizzling. Remi’s past makes a return, and Marshell’s handling of this delicate issue is beautiful.

There was a clear setup for another book in this one, which is great if you like that, or not so great if you prefer to be surprised at the matches. There ended up being multiple discussions about this pair, which disappointed me a little bit. My preference is to let that book be revealed *in* the book, not to belabor the point in someone else’s.

In the end, though, I spent several happy hours reading this book, fell hard for these main characters, and I will be reading both the previous two as well as any future books as they are released. If you’re a fan of shifters, I most definitely recommend checking out Ms. Church’s Fur, Fangs, and Felines series!

Star Rating: ★★★★

Reviewed by Cat Clontz.

ARC was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest review.

M.A. Church is a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now she spends her days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding her numerous shifters, or trying to tempt her country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!

When not writing, she’s on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and they have two grown children.

She was a finalist in the 2013 Rainbow Awards, runner up in the 2015 Rainbow Awards, and is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

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